I love her music, I love her message, and I absolutely love her style — British import Estelle has been making big stateside buzz finally, and she’s made an impression on me as a style icon to watch. Here’s why. Estelle is an unconventional beauty. She’s got distinctive features, and she doesn’t try to be… read all

I find so much makeup inspiration in music videos. I just put on some VH1 Soul and let it ride. Bellas, if you ever find yourself stuck in a makeup rut, you just may find a way out by mellowing out with some video classics. To wit — Total. Where the heck are Kima, Keisha,… read all

My heart’s been heavy this week, and I’m gonna blame it on the news. The issues I addressed on Tuesday got me down, first. After that, the response to Michelle Obama’s “That’s America” statement — which has been already turned and twisted and reduced into a quote-unquote unpatriotic soundbite that is as best a caricature… read all

Raise your hand if you owned this album as a young’un. If you grew up in a black family in the Seventies and Eighties, it was probably in the crate somewhere, right next to Songs In The Key Of Life and the Jackson 5 Christmas album. Earth Wind and Fire’s volume one is a timeless… read all

You ever wake up with a song on your lips? Today I woke up thinking of a song I haven’t heard in absolute ages. Seriously, when is the last time you heard Heaven by BeBe and CeCe Winans? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKdQu-XeTA It’s been a minute, right? When this album came out in 1988, BeBe and CeCe were… read all

Wow, wow, wow. That may have been the best birthday ever. I had a blast, and returned from Hippieville to an overflowing inbox of birthday wishes from all of you!! YAY!!! Thank you all so much for making my life richer. Seriously! I will post so much more about Langerado when I have the energy… read all

Rihanna is fly. Rihanna is beautiful. Rihanna is becoming quite sexy. I say becoming, because compared to Alison Hinds, the reigning queen of soca, Rihanna is still not yet a woman (despite her newly acquired penchant for voguing in fetish gear). Alison Hinds has that grown and sexy thing down pat, and she’s been one… read all

So sorry it took me forever to announce these winners, bellas! Everyone brought up a different song that took me down memory lane. Mariah’s had so many hits! And I love her latest song, but the video, not so much. I’m a big, obsessed fan of 30 Rock, but Kenneth is cringe worthy in this… read all

By now my adoration of Seventies reggae is apparent to anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while, so allow me to bid a fond farewell to a master of the genre. Record producer Joe Gibbs passed away last Thursday. Lee Perry, Niney the Observer, Beres Hammond, The Heptones, The Ethiopians, Jacob Miller, and… read all

Ever since I heard that Beyonce was gearing up to play Etta James in a biopic, I’ve had a little knot of worry in my stomach. I don’t stan for Bey, but I do admire her work ethic and I do definitely think she’s talented (that extended mix of Get Me Bodied makes me wanna… read all